Squeaker
by matrixaffiliate
Summary: Teddy realizes he and Vic aren't so different after all, but he isn't so sure about some of what they have in common. NextGen Teddy/Vic fluff story. One-shot. Rated T.


**Squeaker**

**A/N: Squeaker: (informal) a dangerous situation**

Teddy walked into their little flat and threw himself into their small sofa. Being gone on missions was starting to feel easier, right up until he was leaving the office after their debriefs. Then the fatigue and strain would set in, and he was honestly lucky to make it home standing up at all. Vic wouldn't be home from work for another couple of hours, and Teddy decided a quick kip on the sofa sounded like heaven. He drifted off quickly, succumbing to the exhaustion that seemed to penetrate his very bones.

Teddy knew that being an Auror was changing him when from that deep, wonderful sleep, he heard the front door lock click, and he was instantly awake, adrenaline pumping through him as his hand grabbed his wand.

Vic didn't even speak, just threw herself into his arms, leaving the door wide open behind her.

And finally, Teddy's brain started to pull itself out of Auror mode. He waved the door shut and locked before discarding his wand and letting his hands grip her body. His hands moved to help her discard her work robes, his lips only leaving hers for short gasps to let air into his lungs before capturing her mouth once again. Her earrings tickled his skin as he kissed up her neck and behind her ear, while she helped him pull off the "non-descript" undercover clothing he had worn for the mission.

"I missed you," Vic's soft voice sounded like an angels' chorus as she whispered into his ear and Teddy's whole body responded.

His hands gripped her at her waist and in her hair. His tongue felt the need to taste her neck as if it would reveal how much she missed him.

"Merlin, I missed you," Teddy moaned as she pulled her nails against his biceps.

Teddy grinned when Vic responded as he did. She moved to straddle him, her hands clinging to his arms as though she might float away if she let go.

"I'm so glad you're safe," Vic smiled down at him, tears standing in her eyes.

"Hey," Teddy quickly pushed forward to kiss her. "I'm here, I'm safe, everything is fine."

Vic nodded but bit her lip and seemed unable to respond.

"Vicky," Teddy tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, "Vicky, darling, I love you, and I do everything I can to make it home to you every day."

"I know," Vic's response was choked, "it's just that," she took a deep breath and tried again. "There was an accident at work while you were gone. One of the cursed objects was far worse than we thought and Dad was furious with Landon for missing it, but I just, I almost, if not for Dad, I'd..." She broke down again and this time Teddy wasted no time in pulling her into him.

Vic loved curse breaking the way Bill did. It was a puzzle to be solved, working backward to decipher someone else's mind and magic. But this was the first time the dangers of her job became a reality. Bill kept a close watch on his baby girl, keeping her from the things that could really hurt her, until this apparently.

And the thought made Teddy's blood run cold. He knew his job was dangerous, but he'd been committed to it since he was a teenager. He wanted to make sure as few kids as possible had to grow up like him, without parents, or worse, like Harry, without any real family at all. But it was completely different to accept his own mortality than to accept Vic's. What would he do if she were injured on the job? Teddy had so fully trusted Bill to keep Vic safe that the thought never crossed Teddy's mind that he could lose Vic.

Until right then.

And the thought terrified him.

What would he do without her? How would he go on? Vic was his wife. Vic was everything. Vic was where he felt at home. She was the life that made his chest beat day in and day out. Teddy was sure he would die right on the spot if someone came down to his cubicle to tell him Vic had been killed in a work accident. Just the thought brought a lump in his throat and made his chest feel like it would explode.

And then a thought crossed Teddy's mind - Vic lived with this too.

Every day Teddy went to work, he was in dangerous situations, if for no other reason than being Harry Potter's godson. Harry did his best to keep him safe, but he couldn't completely protect him. More than once Teddy had landed himself in St. Mungo's on assignment. Bill couldn't keep Vic completely safe either. These were their jobs, and Vic had been fully supportive of Teddy in his choice, he owed her the same, even if it scared him to death to do so.

"Vic," he smoothed her hair as she cried into his shoulder, "Vicky, love, look at me."

She pulled back and Teddy couldn't help but smile. The Veela blood in her made her a pretty crier. She could sob heaving sobs and still look ready to walk out the door. But Teddy was far more interested in how when she cried, her blue eyes went from bright blue to a stormy mix between gray and blue. He didn't know many people whose eyes changed color when they cried, but it always made it easier on him to focus on that when she was this upset. Beautiful or not, Vic crying made his chest hurt.

"You're safe, I'm safe, and it's going to be alright." He wiped the tear streaks from her face with gentle hands. "We both knew what we were getting into when we chose our careers. We both knew that when we started dating, and when we got married. This is part of our life together. We can't let it overpower us."

"But Teddy what if, what if Dad hadn't acted fast enough?" Her voice broke again and Teddy held her tight around her waist. He remembered the first time he narrowly escaped death, and how terrified he'd been after that. It had taken a Harry a good hour to talk him down after everything was done. Teddy cursed himself for having not been there to help the moment Vic had gone through it all too.

"Did your dad talk with you?"

"Yeah, he told me this was a part of the job. Told me he'd completely understand if I decided I wanted something else. He also pointed out your job was actually more dangerous than mine. That didn't really help much then, but it helps a bit more now."

Teddy ran his hands along her back as he spoke, "That doesn't change that's it's terrifying to escape death that closely. You have every right to be upset. But something Harry told me after I just barely skipped out was that I had to be content with my own mortality. This life we have is important, and I needed to be at a place with those I love so that if my time comes, I'm leaving everyone with the knowledge that I love them."

"What about kids, Teddy?" Vic's voice was quiet, small, and so unlike the strong sure woman he knew her to be.

And he hated that.

"What do we do when we have kids?"

Teddy sighed and kissed her softly. "I don't know, but it's something for us to think about and discuss when we're both not so wrapped up in what happened. Let's process this first, and then we can talk about how to proceed when we're ready to start a family."

Vic nodded and sighed as she moved to lay against his chest and shoulder. "I love you, Teddy."

"I love you too." He kissed her head, rubbing a soothing hand across her back.

Sure they could both die in their chosen professions, but Teddy determined Harry was right. If either of them had to go, he wanted to make sure it was after he'd spent as much time as possible wrapped up in her arms, just as he was right then.


End file.
